The ABC won’t release the salaries of its staff due to concerns of individuals being “targeted”, The Australian reports.
The Australian obtained documents under freedom of information laws about the ABC’s ombudsman’s office, which has 6.6 full-time staff, and learned that the office spent $117,782 (excluding GST) in expenses last year, including:
-$73,543 on “computer software and development”
-$13,974 on overseas airfares and accommodation, and
-$23,779 on domestic travel.
The Australian reports that it “asked both the ABC’s communications team and the ombudsman Fiona Cameron about the nature of the taxpayer-funded international travel but did not receive an answer on Sunday.”
The publication asked to to access the combined salaries of the ombudsman’s office last week, but the request was rejected by the ABC’s FOI person Ali Edwards, who said “disclosure of the ‘global sum’ of the department’s 6.6 full-time wage bill could lead to harassment from colleagues or ‘unwarranted public criticism’.”
Edwards said her decision involved considering transparency and the need to “protect individuals from unreasonable interferences with their privacy and (to protect) staff from occupational health and safety risks”.
Edwards reportedly added: “This is not a hypothetical exercise but a real risk public servants face, especially those employed by the ABC.
“The ABC has a duty of care to protect the wellbeing of its staff, and disclosure of identifying details, opinions and human resources matters in this context could result in a loss of trust by employees in the ability of the ABC to protect their privacy and wellbeing.
“To release the limited information under FOI would undermine the ABC’s ability to manage its staff and it would increase the likelihood of staff feeling unsafe or potentially targeted at work.”